Aussie health campaigners have declared war on slushies.
Eighteen agencies have formed the LiveLighter and Rethink Sugary Drink alliance, which is running a new campaign 'Don't Be Sucked In', reports 7 News.
The ads feature a man sucking from a drink that on closer inspection, is revealed to be a blob of fat.
"These cheap, frozen drinks might seem refreshing on a hot day, but we want people to realise they could easily be sucking down an entire week's worth of sugar in a single sitting," Craig Sinclair of the Cancer Council said on Thursday.
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Slushies are at least a quarter sugar - the rest water. One online recipe calls for four ice cubes, a half-cup of water, a half-cup of sugar and the same amount of lemon juice concentrate (which also contains sugar).
The result is a sugar-filled slush which contains more than 20 teaspoons of sugar, around 80g - as much as nutritionists say we should consume in a week, not a single drink.
"This summer, Aussies could be slurping their way towards weight gain, obesity and toxic fat, increasing their risk of 13 types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart and kidney disease, stroke and tooth decay," said dietician Alison McAleese.
A typical large-sized slushy contains even more sugar than a large frozen Coke from McDonald's, which has 56g.
Drinking a large Slurpee from the 7-Eleven chain every day in summer would result in nearly 2kg of weight gain, said Ms McAleese.
The 'Don't Be Sucked In' ads will be displayed on Melbourne bus and tram stops.
Newshub.
